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Patanjali Yoga Sutra Part-24

Root to the misery

What is the purpose of Kriya yoga? The next Sutra says Samadhibhavanarthaha Kleshathanookaranarthascha, the purpose of which is to reduce suffering or misery in life and to bring about harmony or equanimity. The root causes of misery are ignorance, craving, hatred, and the fear of unknown


The next sutra is Avidyasmitaragadweshabhiniveshaha kleshaha, which says that ignorance is the root cause of suffering. What is ignorance? It is when you view something that is not permanent as permanent, something that is not joy as joy and that which is not self as self. Thinking you have certain thoughts and emotions when you do not is ignorance.

You feel the body is not changing, but the body is changing all the time. In 24 hours, your blood changes. In five days, the lining of your stomach changes. Doctors say the skin changes in a month. Every year, the cells in your body undergo some sort of transformation. Your body is like a river, always flowing, always changing. With every passing year, your body is new. Your mind is new. As you are awakened to this truth, you can identify your old fears or yourself.

Ignorance is holding on to the past and an image of who you are. People think that it is a good thing to know who you are and have an image of your self. I tell you, if you have an idea of who you are, you are finished, you are stuck! You should not know who you are. You are changing every moment and you must keep the possibility of change open. A fixed idea about who you are destroys you totally. It stops your growth and limits your possibilities.

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